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7th Annual Performance Report Scorecard - FY 2005

Which Federal Agencies Best Inform the Public?

Maurice McTigue, Jerry Ellig, Henry Wray

April 18, 2006

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Scandals, embarrassing earmarks, and disaster relief disasters have recently  made the federal government appear unmanaged and out of control.  Notwithstanding these breakdowns, during the past dozen years, both Congress and the executive branch have taken significant steps to improve accountability for federal expenditures.

The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 requires agencies to produce strategic plans, annual performance plans, and annual performance reports.  In fiscal 2001, the Office of Management and Budget began examining the design, management, and results of federal programs using its Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART). 

This Scorecard commenced in fiscal 1999 to foster continuous improvement in the quality of disclosure in agencies' annual performance reports.  This year, researchers at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University conducted our seventh annual evaluation of the performance and accountability reports produced by the  24 agencies covered under the Chief Financial Officers Act.  These agencies accounted for 98.8 percent of federal outlays in 2005.  We employed the same criteria as used in previous Scorecards.

Key findings in this year's Scorecard include:

• Quality disclosure covers slightly higher fraction of expenditures.
• Very good disclosure covers miniscule fraction of expenditures.
• There remains substantial room for improvement.